Musings of a Taiwanese-American Adoptee

second day in taiwan

On my second day in Taiwan, I met with two news reporters, a female reporter from Taipei Times and a male reporter from United, who were both interested in the story of my adoption and reunion. Only one reporter actually ran the story in the end, however. Most Taiwanese have a negative view of international adoption, which was surprising to me. So, in hopes of presenting a more positive light on adoption, Tien though the good publicity would be beneficial. After the interviews, Tien and her friend Elaine, who helped with translation, my sisters and I all had lunch together. We went to Sogo, a department store, where there was a restaurant on the 14th floor!

My 2 sisters, me, Tien and Elaine

My sisters at the restaurant in Sogo’s Dept. Store

After lunch, we parted ways with Tien and Elaine. My sisters and I then went to Longshan Temple by the MRT. The temple was built long ago and withstood the air raids of WWII. The smell of burning incense was overpowering. It was hard to catch my breath. The temple was very crowded due to the upcoming Lunar New Year, and many people were there to worship. The temple was quite ornate and beautiful. The dragons on top of the temple represent protection.

My sisters worshiped and were thankful for my safe arrival. I thanked God for the opportunity to be in Taiwan and reunite with my sisters and birth family. After visiting the temple, we took a taxi to my elder sister’s home in Banqiao. Kate made us a light dinner. We had high mountain tea then indulged in watching Korean dramas! I was happy to find out that my sisters also love Korean dramas. They introduced me to a few new ones, and we ended up watching some of “Sweet Spy.” Can’t wait to watch the rest of it. Around 9 pm, I took a taxi back to my hotel. We have a very early morning tomorrow – we’re taking a trip to Hualien and the beautiful eastern coast of Taiwan. Liz made a schedule of all the places we can go sightseeing. Looking forward to seeing more of Taiwan!

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9 thoughts on “second day in taiwan”

Now, tell me, do you feel in your heart/head…more “Chinese”? I don’t mean to offend but as someone born in Canada, I honestly don’t distinguish those of Chinese blood from East Asia by national lines…Chinese, Hong Kong vs. Taiwan. (And I know my parents don’t care for those distinctions either. They are quite non-political in that way.)

You went to the Longshan MRT Station? Is there anything in particular you would recommend at that area? (The reason I ask is because I haven’t been doing touristy stuff, and it’s a 15-minute bus ride just to get to the nearest MRT Station, which is pretty much opposite of *every* place I know of from my 2009 trip – in other words, very inconvenient.)

Mei-ling, I’m afraid I don’t know the area well enough to tell you what the attractions are in that area. If you do a Google search, I’m sure you’ll find all kinds of interesting places. Some of the places I wanted to visit, but didn’t get a chance to include the National Palace Museum and Shilin Night Market, although they are in different districts. The hotel I stayed at was in the Zhongshan district. My sisters pretty much ordered everything when we went out to eat. My Mandarin is not that good yet to read symbols. Also, thanks for the passport info – someone else from Taiwan told me the same thing, so when I have the time, I plan on looking into it. Take care.

I’ve really enjoyed reading your blog! My husband and I have been living in Taipei for 9 years now and our first son is adopted from Taiwan. It’s been fun to see your pictures and read your story. I also enjoyed the book “Lucky Girl” by Mei-Ling Hopgood.

Hi Bethany, from what Tien told me regarding why the people of Taiwan think negatively of international adoption, it has to do with many people believing that the adoptive child could be abused or given a bad upbringing. It also has to do with the fact that giving a child to adoption separates the child and biological family, which is very difficult for the birth family. Many believe that separating the child from his/her birth family is a negative thing and feel for the birth family. I hope that answers your question. Thanks for visiting.